Bilaspur, Apr 2 Nearly 23 years after the murder of NCP leader Ramavatar Jaggi, the Chhattisgarh High Court on Thursday convicted former CM Ajit Jogi's son Amit Jogi in the case, and directed him to surrender within three weeks, the CBI's counsel said.
A trial court had in 2007 acquitted Amit Jogi, president of the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J), founded by his late father.
The HC, however, reopened proceedings in the 2003 murder case last month following directions from the Supreme Court on an appeal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The SC in November last year said though the CBI had filed the application after a significant delay, it was equally true that "the charges against respondent Amit Jogi were very grave, involving a conspiracy to murder a member of a rival political party".
On Thursday, a division bench of Chhattisgarh High Court's Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Arvind Kumar Verma set aside the acquittal of Amit Jogi, convicted him and issued the surrender directive, CBI counsel Vaibhav A Goverdhan told PTI.
Reacting to the HC's order, Amit Jogi said injustice was done to him as he was previously acquitted and now declared guilty without being allowed to be heard. He expressed hope that the truth would prevail and that he would get justice from the Supreme Court.
"Dear friends and well-wishers, today the Hon'ble High Court accepted the CBI's appeal against me in just 40 minutes, without giving me an opportunity to be heard. I regret that a person who had been acquitted by a court has now been declared guilty without even a single chance for a hearing. This has never happened before," he said in a post on X.
"The court has given me three weeks to surrender. I believe a grave injustice has been done to me. I have full faith that I will receive justice from the Supreme Court. I have complete trust in the judicial system and will move forward with peace, faith, and patience. Truth will ultimately prevail," he added.
On the other side, Satish Jaggi, son of the late Ramavatar Jaggi, welcomed the HC verdict, saying, "Truth has won."
"Today is Hanuman Jayanti. I bow before Lord Hanuman. I have received his special blessings. My family's 20-year-long penance has borne fruit today. My faith in the judiciary has been vindicated. Truth has prevailed and my father has finally received justice," he told reporters here.
He thanked those who supported him and stood by justice and truth throughout this journey.
"The main accused, Amit Jogi, will now go to jail. While our family cannot truly be happy because we lost our father, justice has been served. I express my gratitude to the judiciary and the CBI. Today, truth has won," he added.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ramvatar Jaggi was shot dead in Raipur on June 4, 2003, when Ajit Jogi was the chief minister of Chhattisgarh.
The deceased was a close confidant of the then state NCP chief V C Shukla.
Satish Jaggi had alleged that Ajit Jogi and Amit Jogi were behind his father's murder.
The case was initially investigated by the state police and later transferred to the CBI, which had filed a chargesheet against several accused, including Amit Jogi.
On May 31, 2007, a trial court in Raipur held that the prosecution successfully proved the charges against 28 accused. It, however, acquitted Amit Jogi of the charges levelled against him.
The CBI later challenged the acquittal, but the high court dismissed its petition in 2011 on grounds of delay. Separate appeals by the Chhattisgarh government and Satish Jaggi, son of Ramavtar Jaggi, were also rejected.
In November last year, the SC asked the Chhattisgarh High Court to consider afresh the CBI's plea seeking permission to file an appeal against Amit Jogi's acquittal.
The apex court said the HC ought to have adopted a "more liberal and pragmatic approach" in dealing with CBI's application and should have examined the plea on merits.
